University of Utah MBA programs among national top 40, report says

SALT LAKE CITY — The executive and professional MBA programs at University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business have received national recognition from a major business publication.

For the first time, the school’s professional MBA, or PMBA program, ranked among the top 40 business schools in the biennial Bloomberg Businessweek MBA rankings. The school also finished first among all Utah business colleges in the rankings.

The program jumped to No. 37 — up from No. 65 two years ago. It was ranked No. 9 in the West region.

Meanwhile, the school’s executive MBA program retained its ranking from two years ago coming in at No. 33 worldwide, and No. 26 in the U.S.

“The rankings are a reflection of the many creative ways the David Eccles School of Business works with students from all walks of life, from undergraduates to professionals well into their careers,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the business school. “We’ve been going through a major overhaul of the program, and we’re seeing some of those investments pay off.”

The report gave an A grade in teaching quality, up from a B in 2011, while caliber of classmates and curriculum also received top grades. The school was one of 16 schools in the top 40 to have an A or better in all three areas.

As for the PMBA rankings, curriculum received an A grade, along with support and service as well as teaching. The school was one of eight schools in the top 40 to achieve an A or better in all three categories.

“These rankings are an external validation of a lot of hard work that goes on (internally),” Randall said. “In an age of technology, we’ve tried to maintain the appropriate personal touch with faculty in the right places, while leveraging technology to make the education current.”

The Businessweek rankings are based on various measures including responses by graduates and program directors, post-MBA outcomes and goals of students, along with a 50-question student satisfaction survey and a six-part academic quality questionnaire completed by the schools.

“We can trace our high rankings to changes we have made in the faculty, curriculum, staff and services to students,” said associate dean of executive and professional MBA programs, Brad Vierig. “Our ranking is an affirmation of students benefiting from the quality education and lifelong professional network.”